Setts



(No Model.)

G. 0. PAINE.

BUCKLE. No. 406,403. Patented'July 2, 188 9.

F|j,4- \AI/ITNESSES INVENTOR UNZTED STATES .ATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE O. PAINE, OF BOSTON, ASSIGN OR TO JOSEPH A. I-IURD, OF SALEM,

A. E. TOVVNE, OF BOSTON, AND O. D. MOORE, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHU- SETTS.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 406,403, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed April 11, 1887. Serial No.234,468. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. PAINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Harness-Buckles,of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of certain improvements in the construction of harness-buckles, more especially those buckles that are used upon the heavy parts of the harnesssuch as the traces and saddle-strapsand has for its object a buckle adapted to be used upon such heavy portions of the harness with a view to increasing the durability of the harness, and has also the object of furnishing a buckle adapted to be used in connection with a metallic thill-lug.

In the drawings accompanying, in which similar letters of reference refer to similar parts, Figure 1 shows a top or plan View of a buckle especially adapted to be used with a metallic lug. Fig. 2 shows a side or sectional view of the same buckle and a lug with its connection thereto. Fig. 3 shows some details of construction of the same buckle. Figs. 4 and 5 show modifications, and Fig. 6 shows details of Fig. 5.

A represents the frame of a buckle, made in a manner common to buckles of this class, except such variations as are hereinafter described, and B represents the tongue of the buckle.

The tongue B, Figs. 1 and 2, is pivoted to the buckle, in the usual manner, at a, and is provided with a joint I). The end of the tongue, or that part that passes through the strap, is bent at or nearly at right angles (shown clearly in Figs. 2, 3, and 6) in such a manner that when the tongue is passed through a strap the strap bears upon the tongue at or nearly at a right angle therewith.

The buckle-frame A, Fig. 1, is provided with a recess or slot 0, within which the end (I of the tongue B rests.

It has doubtless been noticed that when a strap is used with an ordinary harness-buckle the part of the strap that is passed through and rests against the buckle assumes an S- shaped form and the buckle soon wears a deep crease in the strap, while the strap, owing to the S shape, has a tendency to, and frequently does, break at this part. The form of construction in this buckle, already described, is designed. to overcome this difficulty, and itis believed does overcome it, for the reason that the strap (as seen in the broken lines D,Fig. 2) remains in a perfectly-straight line, and in consequence of. the end of the -tongue of the buckle resting in the recess 0 the strap has a broad bearing, against which it rests smooth and fairly, and thus the wear or tendency to crease the strap is reduced to a minimum and the value of the strap correspondingly increased. As thus described, it will be seen that the recess 0 has a useful connection with the device, yet it is not an absolutely necessary one, and in Figs. 5 and 6 is shown a buckle in which the recess a is omitted. Thus the recess 0 may be used or not, depending somewhat upon the use for which the buckle is designed.

As already described, the end of the tongue is bent at or nearly at right angles to a form somewhat approaching the shape of a capital letter Z. A tongue thus bent and pivoted to the buckle-frame in the usual manner would be somewhat impracticable if used in connection with the recess 0, depending, how ever, upon the depth of the recess, as with a deep recess it would be difficult or impossible,

(according to the depth of the recess,) to adjust it to or remove it from a strap, (depending, also, somewhat upon the thickness, stiffness, or rigidness of the strap;) hence to overcome such a difficulty the joint I) is used, by means of which (the joint being thrown up, as seen in broken lines in Fig. 3) the tongue is readily inserted into or removed from the usual holes in a strap, when it is easily forced to its proper position, as seen in Fig. 2. With a buckle-frame, however, constructed as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6that is, without the recess c-thejoint I), while adding to the utility of the buckle, is a convenient rather than a necessary element, as the tongue bent in the manner described may be used with such construction of buckle-frame, even though it has no joint. The joint I) is so constructed with shoulders or otherwise that it will permit the parts to move through a space or radius not greatly exceeding a quarter-circle, and thus the joint will not go below the horizontal or straight line, or the parts relative one to the other, assume an angle of more than forty-five degrees, both of which positions being shown in Fig. 3, though such restrictions as to the movement of the parts are not deemed absolutely necessary, as it is possible to use the bent and jointed tongue without shoulders or stops of any kind at the joint.

The buckle shown in Fig. 1 is designed chiefly for use with a metallic thill-lug, and the side or sectional view will be somewhat as shown in Fig. 2, the part E being a loop or keeper for the end of the saddle-strap, and may be cast solid or rigidly with the post A, and the bearing-surface of this loop will be in the same plane and on a line with the bearing-surface of the buckle, 0 being the lug and av the pivot by which the connection is made with the buckle.

e represents hubs or bosses upon the inner side of the buckle-frame. The bosses are increased or reduced in thickness as the buckle is increased or reduced in width. The portion of the lug to which the buckle is pivoted is made uniform, thus different-sized buckles are readily fitted or adapted to different-sized lugs. The joint I) may be a single one, as seen in Fig. 1, or a double one, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6.

Figs. 4 and 5 show top or plan views of buckles, in which are shown methods by which the tongue of the buckle is pivoted to the buckle by a pivot or bar f and independent of the pivot or bar by which the buckle is usually suspended, and to which the tongue is also usually suspended. lug (when used with a buckle, as shown in Fig. 5) affords greater bearing-surface to the pivots by which it is suspended from the buckle, and thus its durability is greatly enhanced, while the labor of fitting the tongue to the lug is obviated.

In the usual form of buckles the strap to which the buckle is fixed permanentlyis usually passed around the bar to which the tongue is pivoted, and thus it is necessary to make a hole in the strap large enough to allow the tongue sufficient play. In order to obviate the By this method they necessity of making this hole in the strap, which of course weakens it, the bu ckle-fran1e, as shown in Fig. 5,is provided with abarh, by which the buckle is secured permanently to a strap, and the sides of the buckle-frame are drawn in, approaching each other, with a space between just suffi cient to admit the tongue, at which point the tongue is pivoted. Thus constructed the tongue is secure from side or lateral motion. It has a short and thus a comparatively strongerpivot, while the strap to which it is permanently secured has its full strength.

It will be understood that the loop E may be used in connection with the buckle shown in Fig. 6.

Instead of the bar It in the buckle shown in Fig. 4, a plate may be employed, to which the strap may be secured by rivets or otherwise; but I prefer the bar, as shown.

1. In a buckle, the tongue bent in the man ner shown and provided with a joint, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

2. The combination, in a buckle, of the jointed and bent tongue B and a frame pro vided with a recessed slot 0, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, ina buckle, of the bent and jointed tongue B and the frame provided with the recessed slot 0, hubs or bosses c, and loop E, the whole adapted to be used in connection with a metallic lug, and all substantially as described and shown.

4:. The combination, in a buckle, of the independent bar or pivot f with the bent and jointed tongue and a frame provided with the recessed slot 0, as and for the purpose substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a harness-buckle, of the independent bar or pivot f and the bent and jointed tongue B, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination, in a buckle, of the frame, the sides of which are drawn in,as described, the bar h, and the tongue B,substantially as and for the purpose shown.

GEORGE C. PAINE.

lvitnesses:

CARRIE W. TROWBRIDGE, CHAS. BALL ADAMS. 

